Biography
Cecile Kayirebwa draws her core inspiration from Rwanda’s musical traditions as a soulful vocalist and composer. She helped establish the Rwanda Song and Dance Circle in 1961 and has remained active with the ensemble ever since. Her commitment to these roots carried forward through affiliations with the Belgium-based African groups Bula Sangome and Arcadia, as well as through her independent solo work. Travels undertaken in her role as a welfare officer across every region of Rwanda deepened her engagement with traditional forms. She left her homeland after her mother settled with a Frenchman in the remote Belgian village of Lozere, where she adapted swiftly to her surroundings. Once she mastered French, she began singing local-discotheque renditions of Stevie Wonder and Jimmy Cliff material rendered in that language. In 1983 she pursued formal study of traditional music at the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Terveuren, Belgium. The following year she entered Bula Sangoma. After forming the bilingual group Arcadia with a friend and releasing the single “Amour Sucre” with them, she issued her debut album, Music From Rwanda, backed by Nzongo Soul. Along with her own pieces the record contained Rwandan pop selections and songs by Jean-Christophe Mutata. She has sustained her use of music to spotlight and support the charity Hope, the Children of a Thousand Hills, which she founded jointly with Christine Coppel.
Albums